What a game is all I can say. Even as an LA Kings fan, you would have to admit that this game had just a little bit of everything. Goals, dangles, fighting, hitting and for the most part a swallowing of the whistle. However at the end of the day, the LA fuckboys showed their true grace under pressure (none) and resorted to hitting, grabbing, blind siding the Sharks when the puck would not go in. Let’s start with LA’s only real highlight of the game:

There were an astonishing 55 hits combined in the first period. 55. People ask why playoff hockey is so much better than the regular season and that’s because if they played like this all year, they’d be dead by February. At one point during the game (which also included 27 combined blocked shots) it seemed like everyone and their mother were finishing their checks. However, while the hits were important, the Kings focused their shots on net with precision, 18-16 over the Sharks over the first two periods, the Sharks were just putting pucks on net with 23 in the third while LA only had 8. And when you put pucks on net, they tend to find a way in. Some other thoughts:

This is when I knew that the Kings were done. When Jonatan Quick has to hold Couture down, you know that he’s A) completely off his game and B) knows that the Sharks are the better team in the series. Credit to Couture who drew two big penalties late in the game, with one of which resulting (although not on the score sheet as a PP goal) in Hertl’s grind it out goal up front.

For all the great work Stoll did throughout the game, the penalty late nullified all that. Still boycotting TruBiotics until the series is over.

Finally, let’s get to a one Patrick Marleau.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that as Marleau goes, the Sharks go. Here’s his goal:

He looks reengerized, taking command of the game, going after pucks, getting down deep on the forecheck and that trickles down to the Hertls, Burns, Nieto’s of the team and more importantly takes pressure off of notorious “big game no show” Joe Thornton. We knew if the Sharks were going to anywhere in the playoffs it would take beating the Kings decisively, but even I didn’t think it would be a sweep. Finally, one more snapshot of L.A. Kings fans: